Bertrand Russell

No one gossips about other people’s secret virtues.

If a man is offered a fact which goes against his instincts, he will scrutinize it closely, and unless the evidence is overwhelming, he will refuse to believe it. If, on the other hand, he is offered something which affords a reason for acting in accordance to his instincts, he will accept it even on the slightest evidence. The origin of myths is explained in this way.

Most people would rather die than think; in fact, they do so.

The whole problem with the world is that fools and fanatics are always so certain of themselves, and wiser people so full of doubts.

Patriotism is the willingness to kill and be killed for trivial reasons.

Three passions, simple but overwhelmingly strong, have governed my life: the longing for love, the search for knowledge, and unbearable pity for the suffering of mankind.

He who has a why to live can bear almost any how.

Once you discover that you can, then you must.

Forgiveness is just another name for freedom.

You can never get enough of what you don’t really need.

It’s not that I’m so smart, it’s just that I stay with problems longer.

Come to me, wild and untamed. Bring the oceans on your lips, the mountains on your spine; I want to explore all the places you have ever called home. Let me pluck each petal from the gardens you’ve grown, overcrowded seedlings pushing up through your bones. Come to me dipped in the stars, come to me wearing all your scars. I want to show you just how beautiful you are.

The only real mistake is the one from which we learn nothing.

The Argument from Intimidation is a confession of intellectual impotence.

The only true test of values, either of men or of things, is that of their ability to make the world a better place in which to live.

A lot of people always question, ‘What else can she do, what else can she do?’ And I’m going to show you

I accept chaos, I’m not sure whether it accepts me.

A wise man gets more use from his enemies than a fool from his friends.

If what you’re doing isn’t working, change it.

Children have helped me a lot.

When you cease to exist, then who will you blame?